Registration Policy Tables:

Registration Policies

Students are expected to know and follow all policies and procedures described in the Catalog and the Student Handbook. Below are the registration and grading policies, in alphabetical order.

Administrative Withdrawal

CIIS reserves the right to administratively withdraw students from courses who fail to

meet their financial obligations with the University; or

meet the course prerequisites; or

adhere to academic or administrative policies.

An AW (Administrative Withdrawal) grade is assigned. An AW grade does not affect the grade point average but is considered to be an unsatisfactory grade for academic probation purposes. (See the "Academic Policies" section of the Catalog.) The date of the withdrawal is the last date of attendance. The student remains responsible for remitting the course's tuition. If the student received any form of federal financial aid for the semester in which he or she is being withdrawn, and the withdrawal reduces the semester's enrollment status to below half-time, the student must return that funding to the lender.

Auditing

Any student may audit a class with the instructor's written approval. A student who audits is not required to participate or to take examinations and does not receive credits or a letter grade. An AU is recorded on the transcript instead of a grade, which has no effect on the grade point average. Audited courses do not allow a student to maintain active student status or retain eligibility for financial aid. Students may register for a course in audit status, or change the registration of a course from academic status to audit status, starting on the first day of the semester up through the Add/Drop Deadline. It is not possible to change from audit status to academic status after the Add/Drop Deadline, even with the instructor's permission. Students only auditing courses within a semester are not required to pay the Late Registration Fee.

Authorized Early Registration

Authorized Early Registration allows a student to secure a seat in a class before regular registration opens. It must be approved in writing by the academic advisor and is reserved for students who are registering either in their final semester or, for Counseling Psychology students, the semester they must complete all pre-practicum courses. Only required courses may be registered for-not electives. It is not possible to conduct Authorized Early Registration online. Obtain the "Authorized Early Registration" form outside the Registrar's Office or on MyCIIS.

Cancelled Courses

While CIIS makes every effort to schedule the courses that will meet enrollment projections, at times we misjudge. With some exceptions, courses with fewer than nine students are canceled. The minimum for courses taught by two instructors is 12 students. (Two auditors are equivalent to one student.) Cancellation decisions are made between the semester's Late Registration Deadline and the Add/Drop Deadline. Students are notified by phone and/or email when a course for which they are registered is canceled. Every effort will be made by the University to provide another alternative. Students are not charged the Late Registration Fee if they register for another course. If a course is canceled, its tuition charge is fully reversed.

Certificate Completion

This policy applies to certificates awarded by the University, as opposed to a program. The former are found in the Catalog; the latter are not.

To be eligible to be awarded a certificate, a student must fulfill all academic requirements and submit a Certificate Completion form and fee. Students cannot be awarded a certificate with missing or I (Incomplete) grades for the courses that are applicable to the certificate. Both the form and the fee must be submitted by the semester's graduation application deadline for the student to be eligible to be awarded the certificate in that semester. If the student fulfills the academic requirements but fails to submit the form by the semester's deadline, the certificate is not awarded in that semester. Similarly, if the student submits the form by the semester's application deadline but fails to fulfill the academic requirements by the end of that semester, the certificate is not awarded in that semester.

The Certificate Completion form remains valid for three consecutive semesters (Summer included). Students who fail to fulfill the academic requirements by the end of those three semesters must resubmit the form and fee. The form is invalid without the fee payment. The fee covers the cost of evaluating the fulfillment of the academic requirements, a certificate cover, an official transcript, and delivery and administrative-related expenses. It is nonrefundable, even if it is determined that the student is ineligible to be awarded the certificate. CIIS has three certificate award dates per year: the final day of the reporting semester, which covers both the SUS/ACTCM and SPPH/SCT calendars. The degree date will not be earlier in a semester, even if all academic requirements are met and the Certificate Completion form and fee are submitted.

The certificate and one copy of the official transcript are issued approximately three and a half months after the semester of completion. The certificate appears on the transcript approximately two months after the semester of completion. Students wanting additional copies of the transcript must submit a transcript request and applicable fee. CIIS does not release the official transcript or certificate or verify the student's certificate completion to third parties if the student has any outstanding financial obligations with CIIS and, if the student is not concurrently enrolled in a degree program, any outstanding Library materials.

The earning of a certificate does not qualify a student to be eligible to participate the commencement ceremony.

Class Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all class meetings regularly and punctually. Students may be assigned an F (Failure) or NP (No Pass) grade if they are absent for more than 20 percent of a course. This maximum includes both excused and unexcused absences. Three instances of tardiness or leaving early are considered equivalent to one absence. Instructors may permit a student to deviate from this rule on the grounds of illness necessitating confinement for 24 hours or more, a death in the family, or other extreme emergencies. The instructor may request verification of these circumstances by a letter from a medical professional, the Dean of Students, or the Academic Vice President as appropriate. Due to the nature of some courses, individual programs, departments, and instructors may enforce stricter policies than these. Check the program handbook and/or the syllabus of a course to see these policies.

Dropping and Withdrawing

A drop is conducted before the semester's Add/Drop Deadline. Students may drop online through MyCIIS or by submitting a Registration Form to the Registrar's Office. Notification of a drop, written or otherwise, to the instructor, program staff, or any other CIIS office is insufficient. A drop results in a 100 percent reversal of the course's tuition charge. Students dropping all of their semester's courses also have the Technology Fee and the Wellness Fee charges reversed.

After the Add/Drop Deadline, students may no longer drop courses. This is true even for courses that begin after the Add/Drop Deadline. They may withdraw if they have the instructor's written consent or, for ACTCM students, the academic advisor's consent. A withdrawal results in a W on the transcript. To withdraw, submit a Registration Form to the Registrar's Office, signed by the instructor. The official date of withdrawal is the date the form is received by the Registrar's Office. The Registrar's Office does not process add or withdrawal requests submitted after the class's final meeting. This is true even if the class finishes prior to the Add/Drop deadline. A partial reversal of the tuition charge may be possible depending on the date of the withdrawal. See the academic calendar for these dates. These dates are applicable regardless of when the dates the course begins and ends.

Enrollment Maximums

The following are the maximum number of units students may register for per semester: 16 for undergraduates; 24 for ACTCM students; and for all others, 13 in Fall or Spring and 10 in Summer.

Approval for overload registrations must be submitted in writing to the Registrar's Office. The approver for undergraduates is the dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies; for ACTCM students in the MSTCM, DACM, and DACMt programs, it's the academic advisor, and in the DAOM program, it's the program director; for students in the School of Professional Psychology and Health, it's the academic advisor; for students in the School of Consciousness and Transformation, it's either the academic advisor or the department/program chair.

Independent Study

An independent study is defined as coursework designed to meet a program requirement or to extend a student's field of inquiry beyond current University courses. To register, submit an Independent Study Contract with the syllabus attached to the Registrar's Office.

The following are the policies governing independent studies:

Graduate students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher; undergraduates, 2.0 or higher.

The faculty member's field of interest must be compatible with the proposed area of study.

No faculty member is under obligation to accept independent study students.

An independent study that has content similar to a course already offered in the current CIIS Catalog will not be approved except in unusual circumstances. Approval is given by the department/program chair, not the instructor.

A maximum of one-sixth of a graduate student's total unit requirements may be satisfied by independent study credit; a maximum of nine units of an undergraduate student's total unit requirements may be satisfied by independent study credit.

A maximum of three units of independent study credit may be taken in any one semester.

An independent study may be taken for a pass/no pass grade only.

The Independent Study Contract must include the plan of study and the specific responsibilities of the student and the instructor. The student is expected to complete a minimum of 45 hours of work for each unit of credit awarded.

The contract must be signed by the chair of the student's department/program.

It is the student's responsibility to submit the original of the completed contract to the Registrar's Office and a copy to his or her academic program's office by the semester's regular registration deadlines.

An independent study is subject to the same registration, grading, and other deadlines and policies as regular courses.

International Student Enrollment Minimums

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) requires international students on F-1 visas to carry a full-time course of study to remain in status. Any exceptions for less than a full-time load must be approved by the International Student Advisor. See the Enrollment Status Classifications section above.

Students are not eligible to take an LOA until they have completed at least one semester.

A student must be in good academic standing to be granted an LOA.

An LOA must be approved by the academic advisor and is granted only for extenuating circumstances, such as a medical, family, or job issue.

An LOA is not granted for more than one year at a a time. An extension may be granted at the end of an LOA, but the total cumulative amount of time on an LOA from one program may not exceed two years.

The period on an LOA is included in the calculation of elapsed time under the time limits for degree requirements. An LOA does not extend these limits.

An LOA does not extend the deadline for the completion of an "I" [Incomplete] grade.

Currently registered students who submit the LOA form to the Registrar's Office after the semester's Add/Drop Deadline must also submit a Registration Form to withdraw from courses. This form must be signed by the instructor(s).

An LOA automatically cancels CIIS-sponsored health insurance coverage on the date that the LOA (and registration form) are submitted.

While on an LOA, students are restricted in their use of the Library; though they may visit hte Lilbrary, they may not check out materials, reserve student study rooms, have full access to all Library services, or have remote access to electronic resources provided by the Library. Restrictions also apply to faculty response; while on LOA, students may not request that faculty review their written work.

Students must register for the semester immediately following the LOA. Those who do not, fall inactive and need to be readmitted to be eligible to resume. See the Maintaining Active Student Status policies below.

Before registering for courses after the LOA, students need to contact the Registrar's Office and request the LOA hold be lifted. It is permissible to return from an LOA prematurely.

Maintaining Active Student Status

"Active" students maintain the degree requirements under which they were most recently admitted, are eligible to register and to use University resources, including the library, computer labs, academic advising, thesis/dissertation committee support, etc. Students who fall inactive must be readmitted to be eligible to register again. If readmitted, they must meet the degree requirements in effect upon readmission, not the requirements in effect at the time of their original admission. Active status is determined by registration activity.

Students lose their active status under the following conditions, unless they are on a Leave of Absence:

BA and ACTCM students fall inactive if they do not register every semester, including Summer.

PsyD students fall inactive if they do not register every semester, including Summer; once they advance to candidacy, however, registration in Summer is not required to maintain active status.

All other students fall inactive if they do not register every semester, excluding Summer.

Students on a Leave of Absence fall inactive student if they do not register in the semester immediately following the Leave. Summer registration is required only within the conditions listed above.

It is possible to maintain active student status and still be placed on academic probation for exceeding the University's advancement to candidacy and/or graduation time limit. See the Academic Policies section of the Catalog.

Practicum Registration Procedure

Counseling Psychology students registering for practicum must submit a Supervised Fieldwork Agreement to the CIIS Field Placement Office signed by their site supervisor, clinic director, and program chair. Clinical Psychology students must submit a Practicum Contract to the PsyD Department signed by their site supervisor, clinic director, and academic advisor. The Agreement or Contract must submitted before the semester begins or as early in the semester as possible. If not on file by the end of the semester, the student receives an "NP" [No Pass] grade and is required to repeat the practicum. Counseling Psychology students must register for practicum each semester they are in practicum. This is done by submitting the Individual or Pre/Post Practicum Registration Form or, for Group Practicum, by registering online.

Program Priority Registration

Registration into some courses is restricted to students in certain programs until the Program Priority Registration Deadline, after which registration becomes open to all students. For instance, only students in the East-West Psychology program (EWP) may register into EWP 6051 before the Program Priority Deadline; after the deadline, registration become available to both EWP and non-EWP students. Such courses have a "Priority to..." prerequisite.

Refunds

Registering After the Late Registration Deadline

Registering after the Late Registration Deadline generates the Late Registration Fee charge. It's not charged if you've registered for any courses before the deadline; if you're only auditing; or if it's your first semester in the program.

Registering After the Add/Drop Deadline

All registration transactions must be conducted by the Add/Drop Deadline (including for courses that begin after the deadline). If serious extenuating circumstances occur, you may write an appeal to this policy to your department/program chair explaining why an exception is warranted, the circumstances which caused the deadline to be missed, and the steps you'll take to avoid missing it in the future. Include, if appropriate, supporting documentation such as a letter from a physician. If the chair approves, submit to the Registrar's Office a hard-copy registration form signed by the instructor and the chair and attach the appeal. The Business Office must confirm receipt of the course's tuition before the registration will be processed. Online payment won't be possible; instead contact businessoffice@ciis.edu or 415-575-6132 and request a credit card payment authorization form.

Registration Fee

The Registration Fee is charged at the time of initial registration. It is charged once per semester, and is not refunded if you drop or withdraw from all or any of the semester's courses.

Registration Maintenance

Registration Maintenance is a placeholder "course" (REG 700) that bestows no units or grades. It serves two functions:

To avoid the Late Registration Fee.

Students may register for Registration Maintenance before the Late Registration Deadline, and then register for courses after that deadline and avoid the Late Registration Fee. Once the students registers for a course, the Registrar's Office drops the Registration Maintenance course from the student's record, the charge is reversed, and any payment made is applied to the tuition balance. If the student is not registered for a course by the semester's Add/Drop Deadline, the Registration Maintenance course remains on the student's record and the charge is not reversed. This option is used by students who know they want to register but don't know what courses they want before the Late Registration Deadline.

For thesis and dissertation students to remain in active student status in their final semester without registering for Thesis/Dissertation Seminar.

Students may register for Registration Maintenance if all members of the thesis/dissertation committee have signed the Thesis/Dissertation Approval form except for the committee chair, who requires additional work to be done. Only one semester may pass in this particular status. If the chair has not signed after one semester, the student must register for Thesis/Dissertation Seminar. Registration Maintenance does not qualify as half-time enrollment, so the student will not be eligible for financial aid or to defer financial aid loan repayment.

Registration Methods

Students may add and drop courses in person at the Registrar's Office, online via MyCIIS (up through the Add/Drop Deadaline), by mail, or by fax to 415-575-1267. Scans of registration forms can be e-mailed to registrar@ciis.edu if they are sent from the student's CIIS email address. Registration requests submitted in bodies of e-mails or via telephone are not processed. All registration requests must come from the student, list the specific courses wanted (including section numbers), and contain all necessary signatures. The Registrar's Office does not obtain signatures or pair them with forms on the student's behalf. The date the registration request is received in the Registrar's Office is considered the official registration date. Registrations cannot be conducted via MyCIIS after the Add/Drop Deadline; see the Dropping and Withdrawing and the Registering After the Add/Drop Deadline sections above.

Repeated Courses

This policy applies only to repeated courses in which the initial course was taken in or after Fall 2011. A student's academic history prior to then is not taken into consideration. Prior to Fall 2011, the grades for each instance of a repeated course contribute to the GPA.

A student may earn credit for a course only once, with the following exceptions:

Special Topics (___8888) courses which are designed to have changing content and so may be repeated with different subject matter;

A student who does not earn a passing grade in a required course must either repeat the course or otherwise satisfy the requirement as prescribed by the student's advisor or department/program chair.

Undergraduate students may repeat an elective or general education course once in which they received grades of D, F, or NP. Both the original and repeated course appears on the transcript but only the repeated grade is calculated into the grade point average (even if that grade was lower the second time) and counts as units toward graduation. Undergraduate students who receive a grade of NP in one or more of the linked core courses taken during a semester must repeat all of the linked core courses in a subsequent semester.

Graduate students may repeat a course once in which a grade of B- or lower was received in order to meet graduation requirements (the Clinical Psychology and Anthropology and Social Change departments require that all courses in which a student receive a grade of B- or lower be repeated). Repeating a course does not expunge the earlier attempt from the student's record but may improve the grade point average if the second grade was an improvement over the first. Both grades remain on the transcript but only the second grade is calculated into the grade point average and counted as credit earned toward graduation.

Retreat / Intensive Fees

May CIIS academic programs host off-campus residential programs that are considered part of the student's academic requirements and afford the opportunity for close interaction among students and faculty and experiential learning in an intensive setting. Retreat fees for lodging and meals are charged as separate fees. Because CIIS must arrange advance contracts with retreat sites, exceptions for these fees can be considered only in situations where students have a medical reason or family emergency, supported by licensed professional documentation, to decline lodging and/or meals at the retreat site. Requests to decline lodging or meal fees must be submitted to the Financial Petition Committee (FPC) and within ninety days of the last day of the retreat. Approval by the manager/coordinator for an exemption from retreat site lodging and/or meals does not guarantee approval by the FPC of an exemption from fee payment. Programs reserve the right to enforce stricter policies than this, as long as they are made known to students prior to participation in the retreat.

Sitting in on Courses

Students may not sit in on a course for which they are not registered. The only exception is before the Add/Drop Deadline and only with instructor's permission. Students may not sit in on a course in order to make up coursework for a course for which the've received an "I" [Incomplete] grade in a previous semester.

Special Student Alumni Discount

Special Students who had previously been matriculated in a CIIS degree or certificate program are eligible for the Alumni Discount if they completed at least 18 units in that program with satisfactory grades. A satisfactory grade is defined as a P or higher or, for graduate students, a B or higher and, for undergraduate students, a C or higher. It is not necessary to have graduated from the progrm. This definition of "alumni" is appplicable to this particular discount only; consult Alumni Services for eligibility criteria on other offerings. See Tuition and Fees for the Alumni Discount rate.

Special Student Registration

Individuals who wish to take courses for credit and are not enrolled in a program may apply for a Special Student status. This applied to someone who may want to apply for a CIIS degree program at a later time, or to someone enrolled in a degree program at another school wishing to take a course at CIIS, or someone simply wanting to take a course for personal enrichment. To register, submit a Special Student Application.

The following policies apply to Special Students:

Special Student registration does not constitute admission to CIIS.

Students registered in Special Student status are not eligible for financial aid.

Students registered in Special Student status are not eligible to earn an academic certificate. Those seeking an academic certificate must submit an Application for Admission.

Special Student status remains active for one semester. Special Students must resubmit the Special Student Application every semester that they intend to register.

Special Students are allowed to choose between credit and audit for each course they register for.

Special Students must have their registration approved by the department/program chair in which the course is housed. Special Students are encouraged to bring copies of transcripts to help establish their eligibility for enrollment in courses.

Special Students must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be eligible to take undergraduate courses, and their diploma/GED must be declared on the Special Student Application. Special Students may take elective undergraduate courses only, not courses reserved for undergraduate cohort students.

Special Students must have earned a bachelor's degree to be eligible to take graduate courses, and this degree must be declared on the Special Student Application.

Special Students may take graduate courses in audit status without having earned a bachelor's degree if permission is given by the department/program chair in which the course is housed.

Special Students are required to be in satisfactory academic standing to enroll and to remain enrolled. Evidence of satisfactory academic standing is determined in the following manner:

Undergraduate students: A minimum 2.00 grade point average per semester and no more than two grades of C-, D+, D, D-, F, NP, I, IN, NS, or AW.

Graduate students: A minimum 3.00 grade point average per semester and not more than two grade of B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, NP, I, IN, NS, or AW.

The maximum number of credit hours taken as a Special Student that may apply to a program upon admission to CIIS is limited to one-sixth of the credits required for the program.

Technology Fee

The Technology Fee is charged each semester to all registrants. This charge is reversed for registrants who drop all of their courses by the Add/Drop Deadline. This fee supports student learning and educational opportunities at CIIS. As at most institutions of higher education, supplemental funding is necessary for CIIS to adequately support technology operations, support, and training. Some of this is apparent - the computer labs, the website, MyCIIS, Canvas, wireless access, library materials, and online courses - but the bulk of it is behind-the-scenes in the form of staffing, equipment, software, licenses, servers, firewalls, back-ups, and upgrades. Technology evolves rapidly and increasingly undergirds most pedagogical and administrative processes. CIIS seeks to continually stay abreast of current standards and to maintain efficient and effective technological resources.

Waitlist Procedure

Students remain on waitlists until either:

They drop themselves from them, which can be done online or by submitting a hard copy Registration Form; or

Students on waitlists should check their schedules via MyCIIS regularly to see if they have been moved from the waitlist into the course. The Registrar's Office will notify students if this happens, but this notification could be thwarted. Once added, a student becomes responsible for the course's tuition and academic requirements. Ignorance of being added is not be accepted as a reason for waiving these requirements.

Students who have not been added by the course's start date may attend the first class meeting with the instructor's permission. They should bring a Registration Form. If they receive permission to be added, they should have the instructor sign the form, and bring it to the Registrar's Office prior to the Add/Drop Deadline. Students should not assume that the instructor will notify the Registrar's Office of this consent. It is the student's job, the instructor's, to conduct registration transactions. Students not attending the first class meeting should still check their schedule up through the Add/Drop Deadline, as they may still be given a seat in the course.

Wellness Fee

The Wellness Fee is charged each semester to all registrants. This charge is reversed for registrants who drop all of their courses by the Add/Drop Deadline. This fee funds wellness support services available for enrolled students. Services covered by this fee may include 1-1 counseling, group counseling, wellness coaching, yoga and other movement courses (and access to a regularly updated video library of these courses), wellness through the arts, speakers and workshops, and more. Most services are accessible at all CIIS locations (Mission Street and ACTCM campuses) and available through online platforms. The Wellness Fee is designed to offer holistic and whole-person services for students during their time at CIIS.

Withdrawal From the University

Students may withdraw from the University by submitting the Withdrawal from CIIS form to the Registrar's Office. They should also notify their academic advisor and program manager/coordinator; confirm with the Library that they have no outstanding materials or fines; confirm with the Business Office that they have no outstanding financial obligations; if they are a financial aid recipient, they should conduct an exit interview with the Financial Aid Office; and, if they are an international students, they should confirm with the International Student Advisor the impact the withdrawal will have on their visa status.

Upon receiving the form, the Registrar's Office notifies the student's academic advisor, department/program chair, and program manager/coordinator; the Library; the Business Office; the Financial Aid Office; the Dean of Student's Office; and, for international students, the International Student Advisor. If the student has any unmet obligations, the relevant office will contact the student. CIIS does not release official transcripts of students who have outstanding financial obligations or library materials or fines, or financial aid recipients who have not conducted a financial aid exit interview.

The Dean of Students contact students to give them an opportunity to explain their reasons for withdrawing so that CIIS may assess any needed areas of improvement, and to be sure the student is aware of all CIIS resources which might allow them to continue.

Per Department of Education regulations, higher education institutions must return a student's loan within 45 days of the student notifying an institute official of the decision to withdraw. Any CIIS staff or faculty member who receives such a notification contacts the Registrar's Office, who contacts the student to request written verification of the decision. If the student confirms or does not respond within one week, the Registrar's Office withdraws the student from the University, including from any courses.

Registration Policy Tables

Enrollment Status Classifications

Your enrollment status is dependent upon your academic division and the units and/or courses you are taking.

Applies to graduate and is cleared upon determination that student has no outstanding materials and/or fines

Receiving official transcript and diploma

Provisional Admission

Admissions Office

Hasn’t submitted official transcript from graduating institution

Receiving financial aid; registering for more than one semester

Readmission Required

Registrar’s Office

Falls inactive

Registering

Registrar Continuing Alum

Registrar’s Office

Starts a new program immediately after graduating from another

Registering online (hard copy registration permitted)

Registrar Program Change

Registrar’s Office

Changes programs

Registering online (hard copy registration permitted)

Registrar’s Office

Registrar’s Office

Various

Various – contact Registrar’s Office

Grading Policies

Grade Change and Appeal Procedure

Grading requires the instructor to evaluate a student's academic performance both objectively and subjectively. CIIS assumes that this evaluation has integrity and requires a student appealing the grade to supply evidence that the instructor made an error or was biased. Students may appeal a grade no later than the last day of the semester following the one in which the course was completed (excluding Summer). The appeals process is completed by the end of the semester following the one in which the appeal was filed (excluding Summer). Procedure:

1. Students should address a concern about a grade to the instructor. Normally, grade appeals are resolved this way. If the instructor agrees to change the grade, the student should submit the "Grade Change" form to the instructor, who should submit it to his or her department/program chair along with an explanation of the reasons for the change. If the chair approves of the change, he or she signs the form and submits it and the explanation to the chair of the Academic Standards Committee (ASC). If the ASC chair approves of the change, the student's record is updated. The registrar informs the student, the instructor, and the chair of the decision either way.

2. If the student does not resolve the concern with the instructor, he or she should write a statement explaining why he or she believes the grade was based on instructor error or bias, attach supporting factual evidence, and submit it, along with the "Grade Change" form, to the chair of the program in which the course is housed. If the instructor and the chair are the same person, then the appeal documentation is submitted to the Dean of Academic Planning and Administration. The Dean will bring it to the school's program chairs, who will designate one within their group to respond.

3. The department/program chair may contact both parties to determine whether informal resolution is possible. If resolution is not achieved this way, the chair forwards the appeal to the Program Committee (or to an ad hoc Appeal Committee of faculty within the program or the school). The instructor whose grade is under dispute is not part of the Committee.

4. The Committee decides whether or not to change the grade and contacts the student and instructor. If the decision is made to change the grade, the Committee determines the new grade and forwards the "Grade Change" form to the Registrar, who updates the student's record. The program chair notifies the student and the faculty member of the decision either way.

5. The decision of the Program Committee or ad hoc Appeal Committee is final; no appeals will be considered by deans, the Academic Vice President, or the President.

Grade Option Request Procedure

Some courses are offered for letter grades, some for pass/no pass grades, and some give the student the choice of either, in which case students elect the option at the time they register. Students may change their choice up through the Add/Drop Deadline, but it is not possible to change it online via MyCIIS. Instead, submit the Grade Option Change form or submit an e-mail to registrar@ciis.edu from the e-mail account the Institute has on record for you. Students may not change their option after Add/Drop, even with the instructor's permission.

Incomplete Grades

Students anticipating being unable to complete a course may request permission from the instructor to receive an "I" [Incomplete] grade; students who have not completed the work required for a course are not to be given a passing grade in the course without completing the required work. CIIS courses are expected to be organized in a way that allows work to be completed during the semester the course is being offered. Below are the spolicies related to incomplete grades:

Permission to be given an "I" grade is given only in the following circumstances:

The instructor, not the student, determines the deadline for the remaining coursework. This deadline cannot exceed two semesters (including Summer) from the last day of the semester in which the course took place, and can be earlier. (For example, if the course is in Fall 2016, the student has until the last day of the Summer 2017 semester to submit the work unless the instructor specifies an earlier deadline. The maximum deadline for an Incomplete given for exceptional pedagogical reasons is one semester. This deadline is not extended for students who are on a Leave of Absence, become inactive, or refrain from registering for any semester while the work remains outstanding.

If the student does not submit the coursework by this deadline, the "I' grade converts to an "IN" [Permanent Incomplete]. An "IN" is irreversible.

Students may not graduate with an "I" grade on their record even in an elective course. Students may graduate with an "IN" grade on their records, provided that if the "IN" was for a required course, the student late successfully repeated the course.

The submission of an"I" grade by an instructor does not imply that the instructor will be a CIIS employee in a subsequent semester. It is the student's responsibility to maintain current contact information for this instructor.

Students may not sit in on a subsequent semester's offering of the same course in order to make up the coursework.

When submitting the remaining coursework, the student must include a signed Grade Change form. The instructor uses this form to notify the registrar of the final grade.

IP and NS Grades

An "IP" grade indicates "In Progress". It is a temporary grade. "IP" grades are given only in courses for which the student needs to register more than once to complete its requirements. Such courses include, but are not limited to, thesis or dissertation proposal writing; thesis or dissertation writing; PsyD practicum; and PsyD internship. The final grade is assigned upon completion of the entire course sequence. The instructor assigns an "IP" grade if the student's work in the semester is deemed satisfactory and an "NS" [Not Satisfactory] if not.

For instance, a student registers for dissertation proposal completion in the Fall semester. She doesn't complete the proposal and the dissertation chair deems the work she has done so far to be satisfactory. The grade for Fall would be "IP". The student registers for proposal completion again in the Spring semester and finishes. Again the instructor assigns an "IP". The Registrar's Office then converts the "IP" grades to "P" once the advancement to candidacy paperwork is processed. The "IP", therefore, reflects the work done in the semester; the "P" reflects that the proposal was completed satisfactorily.

"IP" grades are not given in courses that have requirements that are expected to be completed within one semester. For such courses, if the student does not complete the requirements by the end of the semester, he or she may request the instructor to give an "I" [Incomplete] grade.

Pass/No Pass

Courses that are graded with a "P" [Pass] or "NP" [No Pass] are not included in the grade point average calculation. Courses that are graded with a "P" count toward degree requirements; those with grades of "NP" do not. Undergraduate students must earn the equivalent of a "C" or higher to receive a "P"; graduate students, a "B" or higher. Courses offered for Pass/No Pass status are indicated with a "P/NP' in the class schedule. Courses marked "OP" offer either the P/NP option or the letter grade option.

Grading Policy Tables

Grade and Coursework Evaluation Deadlines

All instructors and teaching assistants are to return assignments back to students with written comments by the following deadlines:

FEEDBACK

DEADLINE

Comments on mid-semester assignments

Three weeks

Comments on final academic product

Three weeks

Comments on thesis/dissertation proposals or chapters

Three weeks*

Grade

Ten business days after course ends

*During the Summer smesters, the student and the thesis/dissertation chair and committee members are to agree upon the feedback deadlines. Faculty are to be available by e-mail , by phone, or in person if possible.

Grade Scale

The Institute uses a four-point scale to calculate a grade point average (GPA). Grade point values are assigned as follows:

Undergraduate Grade Scale

Grades

Quality Points per Unit

Undergraduate Indication and Quality Points per Unit

Graduate Indictation and Quality Points per Unit

A

4.0

Outstanding - 4.0

Outstanding - 4.0

A-

3.7

Outstanding - 3.7

Very Good - 3.7

B+

3.3

Good - 3.3

Good - 3.3

B

3.0

Good - 3.0

Average - 3.0

B-

2.7

Good - 2.7

Below average but passing - 2.7

C+

2.3

Average - 2.3

Failure - 0.0

C

2.0

Average - 2.0

Failure - 0.0

C-

1.7

Average - 1.7

Failure - 0.0

D+

1.3

Poor - 1.3

n/a

D

1.0

Poor - 1.0

Failure - 0.0

D-

0.7

Poor - 0.7

n/a

F

0.0

Failure - 0.0

Failure - 0.0

These are University grade indications. Departments and programs have indications that are stricter than these. For instance, a B, not a B-, may be required to pass a course. Consult the program handbook.

Grades Not Included in the GPA

The following CIIS grades have no quality point value and are not used in the calculation of the GPA:

Grade

Indication

AU

Audit

AW

Administrative Withdrawal

I

Incomplete

IN

Permanent Incomplete

IP

In Progress (coursework continues in subsequent semester)

NP*

Not Passed

NS*

Not Satisfactory

P**

Passed

TR

Transfer Credit

W

Authorized Withdrawal

X

Grade Not Received From Instructor

* “NP” or “NS” is equivalent to “C-” or lower for undergraduate students; “B-” or lower for graduate students.

**“P” is equivalent to “C” (not “C-”) or higher for undergraduate students; “B” (not “B-”) or higher for graduate students. Only CIIS courses are used to compute the GPA, not courses transferred in from other schools.